


Doppelpass - Christmas coda:Doppelgänger

by thelastaerie



Series: Doppelpass [2]
Category: Freier Fall | Free Fall (2013)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:15:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28263000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelastaerie/pseuds/thelastaerie
Summary: This little Christmas chapter takes place after Doppelpass’s last Chapter but before the Epilogue.This is soon after they have moved to Hamburg, when Marc is getting his football management pro licence and Kay is attending university.In Kay’s POV - Marc and Kay discuss how to spend their Christmas.
Relationships: Marc Borgmann/Kay Engel
Series: Doppelpass [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1773610
Comments: 16
Kudos: 13





	Doppelpass - Christmas coda:Doppelgänger

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of the “Doppelpass” series. After Part 1 but before Part 3 - How to solve a problem like Mario)
> 
> Kind of Doppelpass 1.5 ☺️, so you don’t need to read the Mario crossover first for this. 
> 
> Wish you all a Merry Christmas 🎄 And a happy 2021! ❤️

(A week before Christmas)

“That is their final offer?Okay.Yeah.If Bettina is happy with it, I am happy with it.” Marc said to whoever was on the phone with him, from the agency in charge of selling his house.

_Their house, Marc and Bettina’s house._ Kay corrected himself.They were selling the modernist house where they had lived as a married couple, half of the proceeds would form part of Bettina’s divorce settlement.

Marc had no urgent need to sell the house, he had enough cash in the bank to buy out Bettina’s half, but she seemed determined to get rid of the house and Marc was only too ready to oblige.

“Ja, genau. I understand.Just send me the paperwork and I’ll have my lawyers to have a look, then I’ll sign it.” Marc got off the phone and turned to face the garden.

After a few seconds, Kay asked, “everything’s okay?”

Marc turned around and gave him a tentative smile that didn’t reach his eyes, his expression distant. He almost never talked about Bettina or their marriage, sort of his way of showing loyalty to her.And Kay had zero interest to know, but sometimes it’s still an elephant in the room, because strictly speaking, Kay was the direct cause of the breakdown of their marriage. 

Hey, according to Marc’s father, Kay was the direct cause of a lot of things.

“We found a buyer for the house.They want to close the deal and move in there as soon as possible,” Marc said, rubbing his forehead.

Kay nodded absently.“I know you love that house.”

Marc shrugged.“It’s just a house.”

“Britt said it’s quite well known among modernist architecture enthusiasts.”

Marc nodded.“Yeah, some architecture magazine asked Bettina to let them do a feature.She wasn’t really into this type of design at the beginning, said it was too clinical, too cold.We even fought a few times over it.But she was very proud of it when it’s done.” He smiled faintly, like he’s remembering something fondly.

Even if Marc didn’t miss his ex-wife, it’s clear he had had some good memories in that house.

Kay listened quietly.That’s the most Marc has ever talked about his ex-wife.At least Kay was sure he would never argue with Marc over the style of a house. 

“Britt also said it’s better than Jennifer Aniston’s mid-century house in LA,” he told Marc.

“Who’s that?” Marc’s brow furrowed, looking confused.

Kay sniggered.“No idea.I thought she might be some modernist person you’d know.”

Marc chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re so silly.” Stepping closer to Kay, he gently brushed Kay’s face with his knuckles and murmured, “thank you.” 

_For making you smile? Anytime, my love._

Kay wrapped his arms around Marc’s waist.“Do you want to go back there one last time before you hand it over to the buyer?We can go there this weekend.” He knew Bettina and Jonas have already moved out, living with her parents while she was working on her medical degree.

Marc’s expression was neutral but his body stiffened.Kay knew right away what was the problem. 

Kay shrugged.“Or not.Forget what I said.” He was pretty sure Bettina wouldn’t like the idea of Kay and Marc staying in their marital home as a couple - even just for the weekend.

“Hey, I don’t think she’d mind... she’s not like that.” Marc paused.“But I’d rather not risk it.” He searched Kay’s eyes.“You know?”

And Kay understood.He leaned in and touched his forehead against Marc’s.“Of course, whatever it takes, whatever Bettina wants; she has already given me the only thing I want,” Kay breathed against Marc’s mouth.

Marc pressed his mouth against Kay’s once - hard.Then he moved on to kiss the side of Kay’s face, letting out a long sigh, a mix of joy and relief.This happened every time Kay said something sweet, like Marc couldn’t believe how lucky he was.

_So yeah, Bettina can have whatever else she wants._

They stayed in a loose embrace until Marc suddenly broke into a fit of laughter.

“What?” Kay pulled away a little.

Marc shook his head, still smiling. “I can’t believe I nearly forgot.We are going to Duisburg next week anyway, remember?”

OH. RIGHT.

Kay didn’t exactly forget that.How could he?It’s CHRISTMAS! It’s everywhere, on TV, all the gift hampers they’ve been getting and the bloody Christmas market in the village they lived in.He was just using a mental block in his mind, so he wouldn’t get a headache thinking about the trip to Marc’s parents house.

“What’s wrong?” Marc asked, tightening his hold.

What was that cardinal rule for healthy relationship Britt mentioned before?Do not bad mouth your boyfriend’s family.But it’s hard to forget that Wolfgang Borgmann had tried to persuade FC Duisburg to sell you to another team, to another city 800 miles away, so you couldn’t start a new life with his son...

Kay grimaced. “Maybe it’s better if I don’t - “

“No.” Marc cut him off loudly.

“Marc... It’s Christmas, I don’t want to be the cause of your family fight on a holy day.”

“No, you’re coming.Or I am not going.”

“Are you crazy?Bettina just let you have Jonas for the holidays, she will freak out if you don’t go to Duisburg.” Kay reminded him. This was also the first Christmas since they have relocated to Hamburg, a move that has further driven a wedge between Marc and his father.

Kay didn’t want to show up like a thorn in Wolfgang Borgmann’s side.

“I will take Jonas here if you are not coming with me.” Marc threatened, changing tack like it’s a football game.

“Marc! It’s not a big deal - “ _God, Marc can be so stubborn sometimes._ “I don’t need your family’s approval, least of all your father’s.I don’t care if he - “

“I care!” Marc talked over him.“We’ve talked about this.Your father will be spending Chrismas with Oskar, Britt and her boyfriend, so he wouldn’t be alone.They are even dog-sitting Axel for us.” He grabbed Kay’s shoulders.“We will deal with everything come our way together, remember?”

Of course, Kay remembered.When they came out together, they vowed to face whatever things people were gong to throw at them; he just didn’t expect the biggest shit pie would be thrown by Marc’s own father.

Marc dropped his voice lower, “Come on, I need you there with me.” Still shaking Kay’s shoulders.“Plus, my mother said ‘bring Kay with you’.” He threw that one out triumphantly, like he scored an injury-time winning goal.

Kay narrowed his eyes, asked skeptically, “Really?Are you sure she didn’t say ‘bring Axel’ instead?”

Sensing that Kay has been temporarily mollified, Marc seized the chance to pull Kay in, locking his arms around Kay’s chest tightly, like he’s not letting him go until this was resolved.“First of all, she’s still afraid of Axel, and second of all, she likes you.She thinks you are smart and that you are studying to become a plastic surgeon. She has always wanted to have a doctor in the family.” Marc said confidently.

“A handsome doctor,” he continued to tease, trailing a kiss down Kay’s throat and scraped his teeth over the hard jut of his collarbone.

Kay tilted his head back to let his boyfriend’s mouth roam free with his vampirishkisses, allowing his mouth to suck and worry the tender flesh there. A soft gasp escaped Kay’s lips; he ran his hands over Marc’s broad shoulders and felt all toned muscles and strong bone under his palms.Marc trained like he was still a professional football player; Kay himself now preferred running, though they played one-on-one football in their garden sometimes. And a couple of times, that has led to the other equally physically demanding activity...

“No argument.You are coming.Got it?“ Marc ordered, sounding more and more authoritative, like a football manager he’s training to become.His head came back up after leaving two love-bites on Kay’s neck and shoulder.He swore sometimes Marc was more territorial than their dog Axel... Thank god turtleneck sweater was still in fashion.

Kay rubbed the love-bites with his hand absently. “Then I certainly don’t want to be there when she finds out I will be an animal doctor, not the kind to fix her wrinkles.”

******

(Two days after Christmas)

“Why are the police so quick to jump to conclusion? The guy is clearly innocent!” Kay grumbled.He reached for the plate of Vanillekipferl cookies on the coffee table and found it empty. 

“Marc!”

Oblivious to Kay’s complaint, Marc popped the last piece of cookie in his mouth, his eyes still on the TV screen. 

Marc swallowed and said slowly, “You just think he’s innocent because he’s good looking.They found his fingerprints on the murder weapon.What do you want them to do?Not arrest him because he’s hot?”

Marc just loved following procedures and yeah, evidence.The rational man. 

They were watching one of the Tatort new episodes they had been saving. Having survived Christmas at the Borgmann mansion.They both wanted to have a Tatort marathon-watching to unwind. 

Kay considered the Christmas trip a small success. Well, they did it together. Marc’s mother had made an effort to keep things harmonious and having Jonas with them helped to keep the grandparents happy.Marc’s father had taken a jab at Marc’s early retirement from his football playing career, to which Marc replied that he had achieved a lot more than his father in fewer years.The arrogant reminder had turned out to be the best way to deal with Wolfgang Borgmann because any form of concession and weakness would be worse in the old man’s book.

So they had spent two uneventful days in Duisburg and had come back home with a full car trunk of Tupperware containers.Apparently, his mother thought two grown men living together would starve.

Kay shook his head at the memory.

“It’s Tatort.Clearly it’s more complicated than that.He can’t be the murderer.” Kay said, returning his attention to the present.He looked at the empty plate again, they were only half way into the Tatort episode and Marc has finished all the vanilla cookies made by his mother.They had brought back a Tupperware full of them from Duisburg.

The disappearing cookies or the hot guy on TV.Kay couldn’t decide which issue he should raise first.“And for the record, I don’t find him hot, he’s not even my type.”

“Oh, I think he’s everybody’s type,” Marc murmured, his eyes not moving away from the giant 85” TV on the wall.It was one of the few typical footballer items that they possessed in their new home in Hamburg.

It was so unlike Marc to openly appreciate someone’s appearance - men or women, that’s just not how Marc was brought up.Kay turned his attention back on the TV screen and started to look at the actor critically.The suspect has now taken over a children’s care home; he’s pointing a gun to one of the hostages’ head, shouting loudly to the police outside.

Then suddenly Kay saw it.The similarities.The ruggedly handsome actor on the screen, the one who played the alleged suspect, bore a striking resemblance to Kay himself - from hair colour, eyes, body shape to the cut glass jawline.He looked like an older brother of Kay - even a twin brother.It’s almost freakishly weird.

Kay looked back at Marc, who was totally immersed in the TV show, he had the beer bottle close to his lips, clearly not realising it’s empty already; his eyes still glued to the screen as the hot actor getting more and more agitated, shouting, gun waving. 

“Marc, you want another beer?” Kay offered.

“Huh?” He glanced at Kay briefly.

Kay pointed to his beer bottle and raised his eyebrows.

“Oh... yes.” Marc gave him a bashful smile, like he’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t.“Thanks, baby.”

_Like lusting after the hot guy on TV?_

Kay smiled to himself. He returned with two beers and sat down with his feet up on the sofa, snuggling closer to Marc.

Marc’s arm came around him, like second nature and tugged him under his chin.

“Comfortable?”

“Uh-huh.” Kay sighed contentedly.

They watched the rest of the tense and thrilling episode quietly. 

“You were right all along. He’s innocent. I am glad the Dresden police cleared his name in the end.” Marc mumbled. “Poor guy, the hell he went through.”

“Hey, maybe I should get some white tees and light blue jeans too, like a Doppelgänger, you know?”

“What are you talking about?”

Kay sat up. “Marc, the guy clearly looks like me.”

“What?” Marc’s eyes widened. “No, he doesn’t,” he sounded genuinely surprised.

“Are you blind? Actually, I think I’ve seen him in other movies before but never noticed the similarities...”

“He doesn’t look like you!”

“Yeah sure, that’s why you couldn’t take your eyes off -“

“I wasn’t! I was only following the story -“

Their argument was stopped by a faint ‘pffft’ sound, followed by a stinky smell.

Kay saw Marc’s confused expression then turned to look at Axel, who was sitting by the fireplace, licking his lips and acting guilty.

“Ugh.Marc, did you feed bean-burgers to Axel again?”

His boyfriend had the audacity to sound indignant. “Why not? They are healthier.”

After a second, they both burst out laughing. 

Then Marc got up to open the sliding door to the garden, to let in some crisp wintry fresh air.Looks like it might start to snow tonight.

Kay came up behind him, his arms wrapped around Marc’s waist, press his body tight against the warm and strong back.

“Merry Christmas,” he whispered against Marc’s ear. “Or can we still say it after Christmas?”

Kay felt Marc’s back vibrate with a chuckle.“Don’t open this can of worms.My mother thinks you should only say it on Christmas Day.”

“Then I am wishing us a merry Christmas for next year, and the year after that.”

Marc turned around and kissed him lightly on the lips, his gentle gaze fixed on Kay.“And every Christmas ever after.”

******

Hot guy in the Tatort episode they are watching 😝

[](https://ibb.co/WxFnzgP)

Vanillekipferl (vanilla crescent cookies! Yum!)

[](https://ibb.co/kXwFwzg)


End file.
